WPL weekend preview

Only two points separate the top four sides ahead of the weekend, but Bala Town are also closing the gap on the leaders before their Friday night fixture away at Bangor City.

Friday, 24 November

Bangor City v Bala Town | Friday – 19:45
After three consecutive wins, Bangor City have thrown themselves back into the mix and could climb to the top of the table overnight with a win against Bala Town.

The Citizens are the only WPL side not to have drawn any of their games this season.

A win for Bala Town would leave them only a point behind the top four sides.

Following their disappointing run of five league games without a win between September-October (lost 4, drawn 1), Bala have now turned the corner and Colin Caton’s side are unbeaten in their last six WPL games (won 5, drawn 1).

James Demetriou’s solo goal in his first WPL appearance was enough to separate the sides when the clubs met at Maes Tegid earlier this season.

Prestatyn v Llandudno | Friday – 19:45
Prestatyn are out of the relegation zone after a comfortable 0-3 win away at Carmarthen last Saturday – the Seasiders’ first away win this season.

Llandudno manager Iwan Williams will be eager to pick up his first points since taking over at Parc Maesdu after losing his first two games in charge.

Llandudno have won only one of their last nine WPL games, but now they look forward to facing three of the bottom four sides in their next fixtures and could find themselves back in the Top Six before Christmas.

Despite their strong start, Llandudno have one of the worst away records in the WPL this season (4pts – level with Carmarthen).

Aberystwyth v Newtown | Friday – 20:00
Aberystwyth fell into the bottom two after a 1-2 defeat at home to Bala Town last Friday night.

Neville Powell’s side have only won one of their seven WPL games at Park Avenue this season (lost 5, drawn 1).

Scoring goals has been a struggle for Aber this season who have netted only 14 goals in 14 games – highlighted by the fact that the two defenders are their top scorers this season – Declan Walker (4) & Jonny Spittle (3).

Newtown have gone three points clear of the drop zone after winning two consecutive league games for the first time this season (vs Carm and Barry).

The Robins have won their last three league games against Aberystwyth scoring 14 goals (4-0, 6-1, 0-4)!

Saturday, 25 November

Cefn Druids v Barry Town | Saturday – 14:30
The Druids are still enjoying the dizzy heights of the Top Six after a draw at Cardiff Met last Sunday, becoming only the second team to get a result away at Cyncoed this season following Met’s goalless draw with TNS back in September.

The Ancients’ defensive record has been solid recently conceding only four goals in their last eight games, without conceding more than once in any of those eight games.

Barry Town fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Newtown last weekend, conceding twice in the dying minutes.

Carmarthen (10) are the only club to score less than Barry (11) this season… but their defensive record is only bettered by the top three (conceded 14 goals in 14 WPL games).

Cefn Druids haven’t played a home game in over a month, have not scored at home in over two months as their last two home matches finished goalless, and have not conceded at the Rock in their last three outings (since Sep 15 – Cefn 2-2 Pres).

The New Saints v Carmarthen | Saturday – 14:30
The New Saints start the weekend at the top of the table by goal difference but with a game in hand to be played away against Cefn Druids next Tuesday night.

As well as returning to the summit, the Saints have also secured a place in the League Cup final for the fourth consecutive year following a 0-1 win Connah’s Quay on Monday night.

Carmarthen start the weekend 11 points from safety after losing 12 out of 14 WPL games this season.

Since the league structure change in 2010, no side has had a worse start than Carmarthen after 14 games (4 points).

It’s almost exactly five years to the day since Carmarthen last won a league game at Park Hall (TNS 0-3 Carm – 24/11/12).

TNS have won all seven home games against the Old Gold since then, scoring 22 goals and conceding only once.

Sunday, 26 November

Cardiff Met v Connah’s Quay | Sunday – 14:30
Two of the top four will go head-to-head on Sunday as Connah’s Quay aim to become the first team to win away at Cyncoed this season.

Cardiff Met are the only club unbeaten at home in the WPL this season (won 5, drawn 2), conceding only three goals in seven games so far.

But Connah’s Quay have never lost against the students in any of their previous five league meetings, winning on four occasions, conceding only once!

Two of the most stubborn defences in the league will have to deal with suspensions as both George Horan (CQ) and Joel Edwards (Met) were sent off last weekend for the second time in the WPL this season.